David Peace - Red or Dead

In the tenth minute, Lawrence threw the ball to Byrne. In red, all in red, Byrne passed to Thompson. In red, all in red, Thompson passed to Smith. In red, all in red, Smith passed to Hunt. In red, all in red, Hunt shot. And Trappeniers parried the ball. The ball bounced to St John. And in red, all in red, St John scored. In red, all in red. In the forty-third minute, St John wrested the ball from Verbiest. In red, all in red, St John slipped the ball through to Hunt. And in red, all in red, Hunt scored. In red, all in red. In the fiftieth minute, Byrne took a free kick on the left in red, all in red. The ball arched over to Yeats. And in red, all in red, Yeats glanced the ball into the corner of the goal. And in red, all in red, Liverpool Football Club beat Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht three — nil. In red, all in red. At home,

at Anfield. Bill Shankly danced around the dressing room. From player to player, red player to red player. Bill Shankly patted their backs, Bill Shankly shook their hands. All of their backs and all of their hands. Smiling and laughing –

Do you know who I’ve just seen, boys? Just seen out there in that corridor? I’ve just seen Mister Herrera, boys. The manager of Internazionale of Milan. And do you know what he told me, boys? Do you know what Mister Herrera of Internazionale just said to me? He said he hopes he does not meet us until the final, boys. Until the final of the European Cup. That’s what he just told me, boys. What Mister Herrera of Internazionale of Milan just said to me. And I know why he said that, boys. I know why. Because when you took to that pitch tonight, boys. You were like a burning fire. A red fire, boys. It was like an oven out there tonight. And you looked like giants in that oven, boys. Red giants. And you played like giants, boys. Red giants. Because Anderlecht are a great team, boys. Anderlecht are one of the best teams I have ever seen. But you swept them aside, boys. You swept them aside like a fire. Like a red fire, boys. Red hot you were. Red hot, boys. Every one of you. Every single one of you, boys. Like the red heat of revolution. That is what you were tonight, boys. The Red Heat of a Revolution. The Red Heat of a Revolution that is only just beginning, boys. A Red Revolution. A Red Revolution that will never end, boys! A revolution without end, boys …

…

In the winter-time. In the ice and in the snow. Liverpool Football Club travelled to Belgium. And Liverpool Football Club knocked Anderlecht out of the European Cup. They travelled to Burnley. And they beat Burnley Football Club. They beat Blackburn Rovers, they beat Sunderland Football Club. They beat Sheffield Wednesday and they beat Blackpool Football Club. They knocked West Bromwich Albion out of the FA Cup. They knocked out Stockport County and they knocked out Bolton Wanderers –

In the winter-time. In the ice and in the snow. Liverpool Football Club drew with FC Cologne in the Second Round of the European Cup. Away. And Liverpool Football Club drew with Leicester City in the Sixth Round of the FA Cup –

In the winter-time. In the ice and in the snow. On Wednesday 10 March, 1965, Leicester City came to Anfield, Liverpool. That evening, fifty-three thousand, three hundred and twenty-four folk came, too. Fifty-three thousand, three hundred and twenty-four folk to watch Liverpool Football Club play Leicester City in the Sixth Round replay of the FA Cup. For a place in the semi-final, in the semi-final of the FA Cup. The Cup that Liverpool Football Club had never won, the Cup that some folk said was cursed. Jinxed. That some folk said Liverpool Football Club would never win. In the seventy-second minute, Chris Lawler took a free kick. Lawler found Ron Yeats. Yeats found Roger Hunt. And Hunt found the net. And Liverpool Football Club beat Leicester City one — nil. At home, at Anfield. One week after that, FC Cologne came to Anfield, Liverpool. Forty-eight thousand, four hundred and thirty-two folk came, too. Forty-eight thousand, four hundred and thirty-two folk to watch Liverpool Football Club play FC Cologne in the second leg of the Second Round of the European Cup. Another cup Liverpool Football Club had never won, a tournament Liverpool Football Club had never played in before. But Liverpool Football Club drew nil — nil with FC Cologne. Again. Liverpool Football Club and FC Cologne would have to play another game, another match. On neutral ground, on foreign soil –

On Wednesday 24 March, 1965, Liverpool Football Club travelled to the Stadion Feyenoord in Rotterdam, Holland. Fifty-odd thousand folk came, too. Fifty-odd thousand mainly German folk. In the twenty-second minute, Ian St John scored. In the thirty-seventh, Roger Hunt scored. But then Thielen scored for FC Cologne. And then Loehr scored for FC Cologne. And after ninety minutes of this match, after two hundred and seventy minutes of this tie, Liverpool Football Club and FC Cologne were still drawing. And after extra time, after one hundred and twenty minutes of this match, after three hundred minutes of this tie, Liverpool Football Club and FC Cologne were still drawing. Still tied. And so after three hundred minutes, after the final whistle. The captain of Liverpool Football Club walked to the centre of the field, the centre circle. And the captain of FC Cologne walked to the centre of the field, the centre circle. Reporters followed them, photographers followed them. The captains stood in the centre of the field, in the centre circle. The referee took a chip from his pocket. A gambler’s chip. One side red, one side white. The referee asked Ron Yeats which side of the chip he wanted. And Ron Yeats said red. He wanted the red side. The referee said he would now throw the chip in the air. Into the night, into the dark. And then the chip would fall onto the ground, into the mud. If it landed red-side up, Liverpool Football Club would be in the semi-final of the European Cup. If it landed white-side up, FC Cologne would be in the semi-final of the European Cup. In the centre of the field, in the centre circle, the referee flicked the chip into the air. Into the night, into the dark. The lights of the cameras flashed. On their benches, the players, the officials and the staff of Liverpool Football Club and FC Cologne blinked. In the lights. The players, the officials and the staff followed the chip. Into the night, into the dark. Up and then down. Down onto the ground, down into the mud. The captains stared down at the ground, down at the mud. Down at the chip, the gambler’s chip. In the ground, in the mud. On its side. The chip had landed on its side. The gambler’s chip. Stuck in the mud, on its side. The referee bent down. The referee picked up the chip. The gambler’s chip. The referee wiped the chip. The gambler’s chip. The referee flicked the chip back into the air. Into the night, into the dark. The lights flashed again. Again, on their benches, the players, the officials and the staff of Liverpool Football Club and FC Cologne blinked. In the lights. Again, the players, the officials and the staff followed the chip. Into the night, into the dark. Up and then down. Down onto the ground, down into the mud. The captains stared down at the ground, down at the mud. And Ron Yeats leapt up. Up into the night, up

into the lights. In

red, all in red.

The players, the officials and the staff of Liverpool Football Club ran towards the centre of the field, towards the centre circle, towards Ron Yeats. Ron Yeats –

his arms raised,

raised in

red, all in red. But Bill Shankly did not run to the centre of the pitch, to the centre circle. Bill Shankly got up from the bench. Slowly. Bill Shankly walked down the touchline to the coach of FC Cologne. Bill Shankly shook his head, Bill Shankly stuck out his hand –

That’s no way to settle a game, said Bill Shankly. No way to win a match. Not on the toss of a coin. Not for your team. I have to be honest, tonight you were the better team, sir.